You are Called to Belong
Sermon series: “What on Earth am I Here For?”
Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020
Pastor Phil Chorlian
God is the One who made all things, and all things are for his glory. He wanted to have many children share his glory, so he made the One who leads people to salvation perfect through suffering. —Hebrews 2:10 (NCV)
I. The second purpose of my life is that God formed me for his
God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. —Ephesians 1:5 (NLT)
II. God’s family is called his
Although I hope I can come to you soon, I am writing these things to you now. Then, even if I am delayed, you will know how to live in the family of God. That family is the church of the living God, the support and foundation of the truth. —I Timothy 3:14-15 (NCV)
III. I’m called to
Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household. —Ephesians 2:19
- “Ecclesia” (church) = the
The Benefits of Belonging: 3 Biblical Metaphors
I. In God’s family: I learn my true
Jesus and the people he makes holy all belong to the same family. That is why he isn’t ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters. —Hebrews 2:11
II. In Christ’s body: I discover my unique
Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. —I Corinthians 12:27
For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. —Romans 12:4-5
In Christ’s body we’re all connected to each other. —Ephesians 4:25 (MSG)
III. In God’s flock: I receive
God made us and we are his. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture. —Psalm 100:3
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. —Psalm 23:1-4
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me — just as the Father knows me and I know the Father — and I lay down my life for the sheep. —John 10:11-14
Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them — not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve. —I Peter 5:2
Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you. —Hebrews 3:17